I have owned both. 950 is a nicer radio to operate, as controls are all up front. Great display. It is fairly large in size, which was a major pain given my small work area.

For everyday use, I do not think there was much performance difference that I could remember. Both were very good values - lot of features for the money. I didn't do significant side by side comparisons.

If it is a money issue, stay with the 450D put the extra $$ into a better antenna structure. If it is a space issue, stick with the 450DIf you have the $$ and room, upgrade to the 950

If you decide on the 950, find a nice used radio.

I upgraded to a Elecraft K3, which offered a better RX, noise management and flexibility. But, for a casual ham, or one on a limited hobby budget, either Yaesu will work fine.

For DXing, your antenna and the mood of the sunspots are the limits, probably not your radio.

Personally, unless you may plan in the future to go roving or portable, and save money, I would do the 450. The 950 is a generic middle of the road performer, not that great but for a casual op, probably okay. I would opt for a better base radio if I were looking like the 590, a used FT-1000, an ICOM 7200 is far better then the 950 and about the same price used but stellar DSP/NR over the 950. Really depends upon your operating needs and style.

Indeed, if you are planning on upgrading in the future, keep the 450D and save up for a Elecraft K3. Nothing under of $12K is better. Lacks only the color light show display, but make up with incredible support and regular software upgrades.

Whatever you decide to upgrade to, get on the forums for that brand and read the comments. Especially ones related to service and reliability....

I have used a '950 for 5 years and although I think it's a great radio for the money, It's probably not a huge difference in performance over the '450. If you can find a good deal on a used one then go for it and I know you will be pleased , but if you are looking to buy new, there are better options. As for the K-3, I used one for 4 months and although the receiver is definetly better, I did not like the overall package compared to the '950, so if you're not into contesting or serious DXing, that is something to consider. And as has been stated many times, the antenna is usually the deciding factor when it comes to station performance.

I have the early FT450At. I believe that the D has illuminated buttons which I wish mine had. Other than that, I find that the little brick can keep up with more expensive rigs due to the versatility of the DSP functions. The 500 hz cw filter can be functionally narrowed with the IF shift to attenuate the adjacent QRM. If someone takes the time to learn all of what the 450 can do, it's a very functional rig for almost any purpose. Due to the size, Yaesu had to make the buttons multifunctional and put some features in the menu system, but it was pretty well thought out. IMO.So far, this radio has done everything that I need it to do.If I wanted to do better with DX, I'd improve my antennas before changing the radio.

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